Wednesday, December 30, 2009

The 2009 Year in Review of Michael Fassbender

In the three years that I have been a bonafide fan of Michael Fassbender, the year 2009 was indeed his breakout year! Although he has been a working actor of nearly 10 years, his success did not come over night, and based on this year in review, I'm sure you will agree with me that Michael Fassbender really made his mark in the entertainment world this year.

Take a stroll down the 2009 Fassinating Fassbender memory lane -

January started off to a rocky start with the BAFTAs shockingly not honoring Michael Fassbender with a best actor nomination for 'Hunger'. But in February, the Irish Film and Television Academy corrected that and presented him with two awards: Best Actor, and Best Newcomer Star. Filming for Centurion was just winding down.

In March we were treated to Michael on the cover of Crash. It was quiet in the spring regarding updates with Michael as he was doing post-production work on 'Inglourious Basterds' and Centurion.

In April, 'Hunger' premiered in many parts of the United States, and it finally played in my hometown of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Also, we are just beginning to see the first peeks of 'Inglourious Basterds' and Centurion in articles and stills.

May marks the crazy month of Cannes events! I updated FF 31 times that month to cover everything about Cannes as Michael was there for the premieres of 'Fish Tank' and 'Inglourious Basterds'. There's no better stage in the world for a young rising star to have two highly anticipated feature films debut there. 'Fish Tank' went on to win a Jury Prize (the second award for director Andrea Arnold), and 'Inglourious Basterds' received fair praise and a Best Actor award for Christoph Waltz.

In June we learn more news about Michael's role in 'Jonah Hex', and Michael was a presenter at the Galway Masterclass film festival.

Comic geeks united in July to attend the Comic Con in San Diego where Michael was there with his co-stars Josh Brolin and Meghan Fox. Fans of Michael were also treated to a handsome photo spread and brief feature about him in the July issue of GQ. He should have had that cover, but that's a different matter.

After a year of media reports and updates about the casting and filming of 'Inglourious Basterds', the film finally premiered world wide in August. Michael attended the Los Angeles premiere of Basterds. Also this month was high anxiety time for me as I prepared for TIFF. During this month, I was unsure if Michael would be attending or not, but I was going to be there no matter what.

'Fish Tank' premiered at the Toronto Int'l Film Festival in September and I was very lucky and happy to go see it and meet Andrea Arnold. I enjoyed the film very much. Unfortunately Michael was not there, but that was ok - afterall, I had many other movies and celebrity watching to look forward too. Michael also was prominently featured in The New York Times Style Magazine September issue. A very high profile magazine to be seen in, and photographed by none other than Jean-Bapiste Mondino. And Fassinating Fassbender celebrates its first anniversary!

Award season predictions start in October and 'Fish Tank', Michael Fassbender, and 'Inglourious Basterds' come up frequently on many critics' lists. BIFA nominated 'Fish Tank' with 8 nods. And I established the Fassy News Network newsletter to supplement FF.

In November, we learned with great reception that Michael was in talks to appear in the latest adaption of 'Jane Eyre'. Very exciting news since Weathering Heights withered away last year. And we also found out that Michael will be starring in 'A Single Shot', a film that he had been hoping would come to fruition. And Oscar chit-chat really starts brewing for 'Inglourious Basterds'. 'Fish Tank' will not be a part of Oscar talk because it will not be released in the US until January 15th.

And as the year comes to a close this December, nearly a year and a half after its debut at Cannes in May 2008, 'Hunger' is winning final critical praise here in the US since it technically premiered in many states only in the spring. Michael is featured in magazine articles, and webcast video interviews getting us all up to date on what's going on with his life and career. And just last week we learned that Michael is slated to star in yet another film. A David Cronenberg helmed film titled, 'A Talking Cure', based on a 2002 play, which will also star Keira Knightely, and the awesome Christoph Waltz.

Well, there you have it! Michael Fassbender had a remarkable year in 2009, and here's hoping that 2010 is even better for him.

Thank you to all my readers who visit Fassinating Fassbender and contribute by making comments or just providing feedback to me via email. FF is still not a very well known blog, but its readership is growing steadily in conjunction with Michael's profile in the media.

For Your Information

June 3, 2018: After nearly 10 years, Fassinating Fassbender has ceased production of articles covering Michael Fassbender. For the next few years or so, this blog will remain for archival purposes. If you have any questions please email Simone, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, at simonetvc@gmail.com. Future articles will be featured about Michael at my Theatre of Zen blog.

Fan Interview Exclusive!

Have you read the Fassinating Fassbender Michael Fassbender Interview, as mentioned in The New York Times? Click the image above!